


We Only Have [E]ach Other

by shinjukusunset



Category: NieR: Automata (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Sibling Bonding, Spoilers, and u know what? it hurts man i just want them to be happy, eventually, i love me some machine brothers! and i want them to be happy!, writing this is making me realize how little adam actually cares for eve
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-03
Updated: 2018-09-15
Packaged: 2019-06-30 07:52:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15747474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shinjukusunset/pseuds/shinjukusunset
Summary: The world was a mix of golden light and crimson blood when he entered it.A machine born from the tragic wounds of another. Violence was as good as coded into him.---He knew what his assigned roles were. He was a soldier and a brother. But none of those were his own decisions.Standing alone before an unknown path, he sought guidance from the ones that had walked that path already. Humanity.





	1. Eve: Identity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He awakens for the first time.  
> Together they learn more about themselves, and the world in which they live.

_System starting…_

_Calculating…_

_Copy of data safely pasted into new vessel._

The world was a mix of golden light and crimson blood when he entered it.

A machine born from the tragic wounds of another. Violence was as good as coded into him.

He struggled to be free of the injuries, as he pushed his way out, and down into a pool of artificial red blood. The ground underneath him was hard and filled with an infinite number of tiny particles, but he couldn’t name the material. They covered his body and stuck to the blood-stained skin in a fine layer.

Guided only by raw instincts, he rose to his feet. Through thick white hair he saw two figures, each with a bloodied sword in hand.

_Analyzing… Complete._

The sight started a chain reaction inside his head. New knowledge entered his system, and a single word presented itself, as an answer to what he saw: Androids. Soon after came records, information, and numbers, all in a constant stream of new things to learn. His head pounded with every piece of data he downloaded from the network. Machine wars, YoRHa, the names 2B and 9S, all muddled together into a nonsensical mess.

Between the data, he found something more relevant. A video of a scene which had unfolded moments earlier played before his eyes. The androids had defeated the machine that now laid on the ground, close to death. He saw how they had slashed and shot at it, and how it had attacked back, while downloading and analyzing battle data. When it had fallen to the ground, it created a physical copy of itself as a last defense. A copy that could protect it and continue the fight. The androids… they were the enemy.

“Ahhh…!” He tried out his vocal functions but managed no more than a faint groan the first time.

_Vocal cords ready for use._

Then he screamed.

The horrible cry sent powerful vibrations through the air. Large piles of debris fell, and a cloud of dust swirled around him. When it disappeared again, the androids had already fled. Instead, he turned to the fallen machine. It needed his help. He knew that without having to learn it from transferred data first. Protecting this being was a personal wish, it was why he was created

And so, he knelt down to carry it to safety. Blood dripped from his hands, and left marks on the synthetic skin. When he left the destroyed battlegrounds, the machine in his arms was unconscious.

 

\---

 

He scanned the surroundings.

The tall buildings rose all around them, reaching for the boring grey clouds. According to the data, humans used to live in them in large groups, though now the buildings were all abandoned and in a terrible state. Large chunks were missing, and the metal parts had been left to rust. Beams of sunlight found their way through the holes where windows had once been and created patterns on the ground, together with the shadows created by trees and bushes. The entire area was a lush green colour, and he sniffed in a pleasant scent of green grass, mixed in with the constant smell of motor oil. At least the plants seemed to thrive between the sad scraps of a once beautiful city.  

Only the sound of their bare feet on the ground broke the silence between them. They were both too busy observing, and their heads would whip around trying to catch every detail. Every now and then they would look at each other but only for a swift moment, before they again focused on the world around them. All their senses were hard at work, trying to pick up all the unfamiliar sounds and smells.

In his eagerness to not miss anything, and see every part of the new area, he ended up trailing slightly behind the other machine, Brother, as he decided to call him. ‘The other machine’ sounded too distant and didn’t fit with the unspoken bond, that he felt between them. Instead he had searched the network for a fitting name to use.

He learned that brothers were inseparable and shared a kind of love that couldn’t be found anywhere else. Warmth spread in his chest, thinking of the two of them as siblings. They were born together, and like brothers they would live together. That was what he wished for, even if he had known Brother for no more than a couple of days. A gut feeling this strong could defeat any kind of logic or reasoning, he thought to himself and hurried to catch up to Brother.

He didn’t get to walk beside Brother for long, before they stopped in front of a particularly huge building. It looked like it could have been elegant once, but now it was no more than just another ruin in the destroyed city. The tall set of doors had been scratched and scraped, the intricate designs barely visible anymore. The colors of the façade were faded or completely gone, instead showing a cold grey wall of concrete. Vines had crept up the walls, and they added a bit of colour to the otherwise gloomy sight.

“What’s that, Brother?” He asked, with a stiff and mechanical voice. He had yet to get a good grasp on his artificial vocal cords.

“… Brother? I see,” Brother answered, with the same awkward voice. He pondered for a moment before muttering to himself, “I guess we could be considered siblings… Ah, I’m getting off track. The data suggests that this building used to be a grand center for knowledge. The humans called it a ‘library’,” He swung out his arms in a presentational way.

They both took a long glance at the building, before walking up the stairs in front. The worn-out doors groaned when the machines opened them. 

The inside of the library matched the outside: damaged, but with plants spouting from every crack in the building. The bookshelves reached the ceiling, stuffed to the brim with books in all sizes. It was the first time he had seen a building with this much human furniture still intact. Comparing it to the photos of human houses from the network, this was messy and dusty. A few chairs were asymmetrically placed, with faded designs on the old fabric.

Brother went to look through the contents of a bookshelf, and he did the same shortly after. He pulled out a thick book from the shelves and flicked through it. It was a slow and boring description of something called the “medieval times”? Reading a couple of lines from a random section of the book, he realized how much faster it would be to just download the knowledge from the network. Why would Brother want to explore _this_ building?

He turned around, and saw Brother flipping through books as well. His eyes shone as he read the printed words. Huh. Such a tedious and slow task, and yet Brother looked happier than ever. He smiled at the sight of Brother engrossed in the pages of a book, and completely ignored his past doubt. If Brother wanted to read, then there would be no library he wouldn’t follow him to. If it meant that he got to see Brother smiling, all worried or serious expressions gone from his face, he would not mind spending hours between the shelves.

Then, he realized that it was the first time he had ever seen Brother smile. He did it himself all the time, but Brother always stayed so in a neutral and analytical mindset. He couldn’t help but stare at the sudden change.  Brother looked up for a split-second, shaking him out of his trance. He walked closer.

“Are you finding anything interesting?”

Brother stayed silent for a moment, before tearing himself away from the text to answer, “Yes, very. These books were the human’s main method of acquiring knowledge. It seems they had a book for every subject imaginable. Fascinating, isn’t it?”

“If you think so, then… yeah, I guess it is!” he agreed.

Brother looked down at the pages again, already in his own world again. He flipped a page and started reading from the top again.

In order to give Brother some time to read alone in peace, he walked away again. Instead he began exploring the building, but it was nothing but more and more full bookshelves, with the occasional old furniture which had somehow survived. Piles of debris laid around, making it difficult to navigate through the halls. They all looked the same to him, until he came to one with a strange object in the middle. It was made of stone, and he recognized it as a fountain, after he got close enough. Looking over the edge of the basin, Brother stared back at him from the water. But of course, it was not Brother. Instead, his own reflection stared through the surface of the water. His eyebrows were lifted, and his mouth agape. The person in the water could never have been Brother, with such an uncharacteristic expression for him. The water was so perfectly still, that it was easy to see the reflection in the water, but he had underestimated just how similar he and Brother looked.

When he had carried Brother away from the battlegrounds in the desert, back then, he had uploaded him into a new body. He noticed that Brother’s two bodies were identical, but had not realized that his own body seemed to be the same as well. They were one and the same physically, designed to look like a male human. Both red eyes, peeking out underneath the thick silvery hair. Although he did find his own hair to annoy him, whenever it got in his face and he had to move it away. Brother didn’t seem bothered at all and had significantly less tangles in his hair.

He blinked at the reflection in the water. He looked exactly like Brother, but he did not feel like they were the same within. They were separate people, and yet he would not ever want to be in a world where Brother was not in. Because they were brothers, and brothers stuck together, did they not?

“Come back here, please!” The voice came from the first hall of the library, “…Brother?” It tried out the word, after a moment of hesitation.

He hurried back to the entrance hall, a warm feeling inside his chest. Being called ‘brother’ felt good. Like a confirmation of his thoughts, and their bond. Even if Brother sounded unsure as he said it, it was his first time, so he could not be blamed for that.

Back at the bookcase, Brother stood with a large book in his hand. He had a furrowed brow, as he read the ancient human words on the pages.

“Ah, listen to this,” he said, “humans used to give themselves names, to differentiate between two or more people. I dug around a bit for something that we could use as names, and I made a discovery. These ancient texts speak of the first two humans to walk the earth, similarly to our status as the first – and only – humanoid machines. I suggest we use these names as well.”

He held his breath, ready to hear his new name. Brother lowered the book and met his eyes before speaking.

“Adam and Eve. Do you like it?”


	2. Firstborn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He leads the way, although lost himself.  
> They fight alongside each other, balancing out any weakness.

The roof of the tall building granted him a wonderful view. Below laid the silent and destroyed city, green and grey, a clash between the solid concrete buildings of human creation and the plants that now had claimed the entire city as theirs. If he had to choose, he favored this environment over the golden desert. Maybe it was linked with too many violent and unpleasant memories, or maybe he found that the city had a certain charm to it. The remnant of human creation, now taken back by nature and time, made his heart ache with longing.

Adam stood next to the long dining table, that he and Eve had moved to their rooftop. The table was made of dark wood and had survived many years of abandonment in a human apartment. It worked as their base, what the humans might have called a home. But ‘a home’ was more than just a base or a house, it came with a feeling of safety and family, and he did not feel as though this single table could represent that much. It did not guarantee them safety. It did not gather a family around it. It only house two machines, one at each end of the table. In fact, he found it to be rather soulless.

He did not feel very human, when he seated himself in the chair at one end. More than ever, he was just a machine playing make-believe, pretending to know anything at all about humans. He could never replicate them to perfection, no matter how hard he tried. Something would always be missing or unobtainable. Incompletion haunted him.

He knew what his assigned roles were. He was a soldier and a brother. But none of those were his own decisions.

Standing alone before an unknown path, he sought guidance from the ones that had walked that path already. Humanity.

A small pillar of books laid stacked in front of him. Adam had read all of them, going through the pages one by one, word for word. It was a long process, unrewarding except for the joy he found in studying the sentences and structure of the book. The books were more than a collection of letters that together conveyed information. They all had their quirks and differences, and no two authors would write in the same way. It was imperfect, personal, and oh so human. And yet, though he felt that his knowledge of human culture expanded, he did not _understand_ it. The humans would contradict themselves in unpredictable ways, that he could not grasp from simply reading.

Cursed were the creators who subjected him to this life, of searching for answers that would always be out of reach. Whether his destiny was decided by the alien creators or a god, if that even existed, he did not know. The only certainty was the way he clenched his teeth, at the mere thought of any kind of creator that was to blame.

“Hey, Brother?” Eve asked, from the other side of the table. “You look like something is bothering you.”

Ah. He slipped on a more neutral expression, releasing the built-up tension in his body. Eve was sitting across from him, a large book in hand. At his request, Eve had gone along with reading it, though he struggled with keeping concentration.

“I’m fine, thank you.” He responded. Eve did not look satisfied with his superficial answer, but he also did not press the issue further. Instead, he looked back down at the book, and started reading again.

Adam turned his concentration to the scenery visible from his seat, where a light mist had begun covering the city. He stared down at the dull sight, sighing softly. The entire area seemed to blur together, desaturated and gloomy-

“Brother…” Eve tried again. Adam turned his eyes away from nothingness, and towards his brother’s. “Can we play? I think it would be lots of fun!”

Ah, the usual question. He suspected that Eve only asked, so he would be free from the reading. After all, Eve did not view their playing as a way to study as much as he did a way to have fun, Adam thought. When Eve wanted to play, he meant fighting and running around, but at the core, all their human make-believe games were the same, whether they were physical activities, reading, or other things. All of them were attempts at imitating the human experiences and learn from applying them to their synthetic selves.

Perchance it would help to do something other than reading, to empty his mind and focus on moving his body instead. Too much repetition of the same activities would be boring and restrain their understanding.

“Fine by me. Let’s go.” He got up, and Eve followed.

 

\---

 

Eve threw a piece of scrap far away, yelling out as he flung it. When the junk landed far away with a distant and blunt sound, a satisfied grin spread across his face. He no longer had long hair, instead he had cropped it short to a more practical style that would not cover his face. Adam had not cut his hair much, but instead styled it with precision. A few pieces remained unruly and fell over his face. Both had started wearing clothing as well, though Eve had made it clear that he was not fond of covering his body with the garments. But when Adam had insisted, he wore them without complaints.

“Hey, Brother! Catch!” Eve shouted, before throwing another fragment of debris in the direction of his brother.

Adam effortlessly caught it in his hands. He didn’t care much for sports, not in the same way that Eve did, but he still had the same amount of strength and fast reflexes. Similarly, he believed that Eve held an equal amount of intelligence as himself. The reason why Eve then did not read or strived for knowledge was… a lack of interest. A fondness for something else. Eve preferred physical activities, Adam preferred reading books.

Even though they had their differences, Adam knew that they were the same deep down. Both of them were ‘Adam’, but only one identified as it. They were the same person, spliced into two bodies. These two separate bodies and minds would not experience the same things, thus shaping their views and thoughts into something unique. They were both a version of ‘Adam’ that felt differently, but not a version that was in any way better or lesser than the other.

Eve’s way of living worried him though. If they did not prioritize learning, whether through playing or not, how could they possibly hope to evolve and become stronger? Their kind, the machines, were able to evolve and learn, and the two of them were even better at it than any machines had previously been. And yet, without educating themselves, they would never get anywhere. They would become the machines that got left behind, like the alien creators had been. He could not possibly accept that fate for himself - or Eve.

That was the reason why he spent days looking through old record and archives, and why he pushed Eve to do the same. Of course, Eve always did as he was told. He was never far behind Adam, so as long as Adam kept moving forward, and Eve kept imitating him, they would make it.

“This is what the humans did, isn’t it? As a game, right?” Eve asked, as he caught Adams throw. “I remember reading about something like this.”

“Yes. They called it ‘catch’, as it consisted of simply throwing and catching an object between two or more people. Though, I don’t think they usually threw debris around.”

“Hm. Well, if it helps your research, then I don’t think it matters how many of the details we get right, as long as we know how it was supposed to be done. I mean, it’s fun either way, right Brother?” Eve said. Adam murmured a sound that could have been an agreement. Even if their little game was not a perfect replica, it was good enough for now. After all, it also had another purpose: to give Adam a break from his low mood and lack of focus. If everything else failed, he had at least solved that problem.

They spent a long time, throwing fragments of junk back and forth. Every now and then, they would misjudge and lose their improvised ball, but could then grab something new from the ground and continue playing. Adam admitted to himself that he did see the amusing part of the game. For an ordinary human, this would require them to be good at coordination, even if that came natural to the two machines. He looked at Eve and found him with a content expression. It was probably joy from getting a chance to move his body and play around.

In that very moment, mid-throw, the ground underneath them shook. The entire city seemed to shift and vibrate, as great tremors rolled through the grassy fields, and Adam picked up on strong signals from a larger class of machinery somewhere nearby in the city. Tree groaned as their roots were forcefully pulled on, and vast cracks split the ground. Fragile buildings and structures broke even further, sending dust and particles into the air.

_ALERT._

Warning after warning appeared before his eyes. He received readings from deep below ground level, unlike any of the other signals he had encountered before. It wasn’t from a machine, but he also did not recognize it as the signals from the humans on the moon.

“What’s- Agh, my head… What’s happening?” Eve yelled out, as he too picked up on the mysterious new readings.

Adam analyzed the signals, trying to make any meaning from the nonsense. Even the large collection of transmissions from the network did not contain anything that matched. He searched further and further back for resemblances-

Adam’s body stiffened up.

“It’s… It’s the aliens…” He whispered, unable to make any more sound in his current state. It was impossible, and yet the truth.

Ancient signals from the long-gone creators, appearing now? But they had not been sent through the machine network. In that case, the androids had received them too, and were perhaps already on their way to investigate. Adam closed his eyes and concentrated. The readings came from the heart of the city, but far underneath it. He pinpointed the location. If he wanted to explore the undisturbed new discoveries, he had to hurry.

_Location found. Find coordinates…_

“Come, Eve! The androids have most likely picked up on the signals too. Let’s hurry and try to get there before them!” He said with regained control over his voice and began to run towards the cores of the alien activity.

Eve’s voice was not far behind, when it shouted with delight: “Androids? Can I kill ‘em?”

 

\---

 

When they arrived, the room was laid in a quiet darkness, yet to be disturbed by any androids. Adam slowed down and adjusted his vision to better fit the shadows. His eyes gleamed as he studied the room, searching for what had sent out the alien signals. Turning around, he discovered… Ah.

Rows of alien corpses lined around the middle platform. Eve let out a gasp but stayed behind Adam as they both stepped closer to investigate. The aliens were simple-looking creatures, with wrinkly skin wrapping around their round shapes. He found the sight to be disturbing: The dead eyes which has been staring into an empty room for so many years, the way they were so deliberately lined up, and the sheer amount of them. The entire room appeared to be a resting place for the remnant aliens.

He could not claim to feel any kind of mourning. In the end, the aliens had been rather pathetic, and weak enough to be slain quickly. There was also a part of him that blamed them for his own destiny. They were the original creators of the machine lifeforms, so they had an, admittedly faint, hand in creating him. And yet, they had never been able to offer him help or guidance, not even through old databases or wisdom passed down to his kind. That had always been the humans, who had left fingerprints all over their previous home. He could learn nothing from the aliens, with their lack of evolution and knowledge. Meanwhile, humanity was progressive. But it was also full of riddles, and irony. Humans were loving yet filled with hate. They sought after love and family but took part in fighting as well. They embraced the conflict and were still able to live their lives. He felt a sliver of hope, because of humanity’s way of overcoming this seemingly impossible task. If they could, then he was not completely alone, then he had someone to learn from.

Eve pulled at his arm and dragged him into the shadows, whispering: “I hear androids, Brother.”

They waited in the darkness, and true enough, there was a sound of footsteps growing closer, step by step. The sound of boots and heels hitting the floor got louder, until they could see the androids entering. There were two, outlined by the weak light. They looked around, and from their conversation, it became clear to Adam, that they did not know about the fate of the aliens. Then, the walls of the room lifted, and warm light bathed the room as the surprising scenery underneath got revealed.

“Destroyed alien motherships,” One of the androids said, before turning around and seeing the corpses as well. Both androids stepped back, confused and shocked. Now fully visible in the light, Adam recognized them from his very first moments. These were the same androids that had mercilessly fought him when he was no more than a few moments old. A bitter taste like metal filled his mouth, when he stepped out in the light, with Eve following suit.

“Welcome… to the graveyard of our creators.” He introduced.

The androids spun around, hands on their weapons. They were ready for battle as usual, he thought, but so were the machines. Focusing on the small boyish android, he charged into the fight.

He had never experienced a fight like this. Sometimes his kicks connected, with a gross soft sound, other times the android dodged, mirages swirling around to confuse Adam. He shot his chest forwards, sending a surge of bullets out in clusters. The android, 9S according to his database, wielded his sword like a conductor might have done. With movements of his arms, the sword obeyed, only to slash through the air where Adam had already moved away from.

Between dodging the predictable cuts, he began to explain in small bits of monologue. He tasted blood on his tongue, when he told about the aliens and their deaths. A grunt left his lips, before they spoke of his fascination with the humans on the moon. The sword came flying down, and he summoned an energy burst to dematerialize him. Now appearing behind the unknowing android, he sprinted and sent his fist towards the sky, powers charging up the attack to reach its full potential. 9S flew into the air, stumbling upon landing again.

The pod by his side never faltered though, and assailed Adam with a constant stream of bullets. They barely scraped his sturdy skin, leaving him unbothered by the minor white-hot drops of pain. The feeling reminded him all too much of the desert, a scarring first experience, and the memories reawakened a determination within him. Ducking under a sword attack, he touched the floor with gloved hands, and a pillar of golden fire rose before him, hurting the android boy. The satisfaction did not last long, before the sword finally made contact, and blood trickled out from a gash in his arm. Gritting his teeth, he stepped backwards. A moment of carelessness could not defeat him, and he was no more injured than his enemy.

Adam evaded attacks, as he recalled sparring sessions with Eve. Eve had, unlike 9S, fought without weapons, and their styles and techniques were incomparable. With lack of experience, Adam had to turn to precise calculations, built from methods mentioned in books. He twisted his body and prepared for a crushing kick, his leg slicing through the air and striking the android’s small body. 9S yelped and staggered, and Adam heard him breathing hard. Before 9S could attack again, Adam glanced over his shoulder, at his brother. Eve appeared to have the upper hand in his own fight too, and Adam could recognize his attacks from their sparring. Eve always fought with his passion more than his cunning, and the straightforward style suited him perfectly. His attacks could be predictable at times, but they were never weak or hesitating. The corners of Adam’s mouth turned up, at the thought of their fighting styles, harmonizing with each other. Where Eve fell short, he had his strengths, and where he could falter, Eve always had his back.

With this warming thought in mind, he decided to finally state his request to the androids. He dodged 9S’s attack and answered with a punch of his own, before speaking up.

“We need you to locate the humans on the moon and bring them to us.”


End file.
